New car launches this festive season

New car launches this festive season

While it's true that there's a lull in the Indian car market with slow sales for most manufacturers, there's certainly no shortage of new cars headed our way. The month of October will see no less than six new cars launched in India. There's the hotly-anticipated Skoda Octavia, the Ford EcoSport-rivalling Nissan Terrano, and even the Volkswagen Vento GT TSI, following on from the launch of the Polo GT TSI recently.

Read on for a glimpse into what you can expect this month.

View new car launches by make and model

Nissan Terrano SUV

BMW 5-series facelift

Toyota Innova facelift

Volkswagen Vento GT TSI

New Range Rover Sport

Nissan Terrano

Nissan's new compact SUV is so much more than just a rebadged Renault Duster. The styling changes make it a lot sharper than the car it's based on and really help it stand out in this fast growing segment. The Terrano will be priced higher than the Duster, with the base petrol expected at Rs 8.39 lakh. Even then, the Nissan Terrano will make for an attractive addition to the compact SUV segment. It'll hit showrooms this month.

BMW 5-series facelift

Shortly after the international unveiling, the BMW 5-series facelift will make its way here on October 10. There's cosmetic changes and additional features to look forward to, including updated styling and new alloy wheels, among others. The engines will be carried over unchanged though, while the pricing should be similar to the current BMW 5-series.

Updated Toyota Innova

Toyota looks set to cash in on the festive season with the launch of the Innova facelift. There's minor styling changes and some added features in the cabin as well. Powertrains for the facelift will carry over unchanged, which means it will come with a 2.5-litre diesel engine option and a 2.0-litre petrol. This facelift will be the third update to the Toyota Innova SUV since its launch in 2005. There's also an all-new Innova on the cards, but it won't get here before 2016. When it launches here very soon expect the Toyota Innova facelift to come with a marginal increase in sticker price.

Volkswagen Vento GT TSI

Following on from the recently launched Polo GT TSI, VW's 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine will find its way into the hood of the Vento. Power figures will be the same as the hatchback's - 103bhp and 17.84kgm - mated to a seven-speed DSG gearbox. The engine/gearbox combination is also likely to make the Vento TSI a more efficient saloon, not to mention a lot more fun to drive. Styling changes will be kept to a minimum, with mainly the GT badging to differentiate it from other Vento variants.

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The all-new Range Rover Sport is set to be launched in India. Brand boss John Edwards describes the car as the "fastest, most agile and most responsive Land Rover ever". Highlights of the new sports SUV include sharing of most of its parts with the new Range Rover, including its primary suspension and transmission parts and key components of its aluminium monocoque chassis. What's more, the Sport's third row makes it a '5+2' SUV for the first time. There's also the significant weight saving. Engineers claim a 'real-world' saving of around half a tonne over the previous model! Expect it to be launched in India late October.